You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

Having driven on both sides, I can assure you the left is safer as roads merge easier

I dunno - I don't find it any different really, either way. It's just a case of flipping everything in a mental mirror when I land at Caen/Calais, and flipping it back at Portsmouth/Dover

Gotta say that roundabouts (carrefour, don't think they have them in the USA) do feel more intuitive when you go round them clockwise though... depends what you're used to, probably. I don't see how they "merge easier" though...? Explain?

I dunno - I don't find it any different really, either way. It's just a case of flipping everything in a mental mirror when I land at Caen/Calais, and flipping it back at Portsmouth/Dover

Gotta say that roundabouts (carrefour, don't think they have them in the USA) do feel more intuitive when you go round them clockwise though... depends what you're used to, probably. I don't see how they "merge easier" though...? Explain?

its the way roads filter in typically from the left only, where as this isnt true when you drive on the right you get all sorts of feeds coming in. It's been a while I just remember it feeling like cars were coming from all over, quite scary, but that was in the US specifically and might not be general for the US more for Ann Arbour.

Love roundabouts, beautifuly flowing usually, but you do need to be able to drive properly to use them properly

I dunno - I don't find it any different really, either way. It's just a case of flipping everything in a mental mirror when I land at Caen/Calais, and flipping it back at Portsmouth/Dover

Gotta say that roundabouts (carrefour, don't think they have them in the USA) do feel more intuitive when you go round them clockwise though... depends what you're used to, probably. I don't see how they "merge easier" though...? Explain?

Oh, well I've only ever been to NY and Raleigh, NC, didn't see any there.

Originally Posted by tinkerbell

its the way roads filter in typically from the left only, where as this isnt true when you drive on the right you get all sorts of feeds coming in. It's been a while I just remember it feeling like cars were coming from all over, quite scary, but that was in the US specifically and might not be general for the US more for Ann Arbour.

Doesn't sound logical... probably just your perception cos I know when I first had to get used to it on the mainland, it did seem quite chaotic, but after a couple of weeks of long distance driving it became second nature. It's just literally the same but flipped round mirror image.

its the way roads filter in typically from the left only, where as this isnt true when you drive on the right you get all sorts of feeds coming in. It's been a while I just remember it feeling like cars were coming from all over, quite scary, but that was in the US specifically and might not be general for the US more for Ann Arbour.

Ann Arbour isn't typical. You can find a lot of roundabouts (also known as "rotaries") in the northeast, particularly around Boston.

Ah, well that's still preferable to Nottingham, a city about 30 miles west of where I live. There, they don't seem to believe in signs at all. You get to a complicated junction/intersection and you're told by road markings to GET IN LANE NOW, but at no point are you advised as to where each exit actually leads, in order to know which lane you're supposed to get into! And on the rare occasion when there is a sign, it's often completely misleading. I think they must think the war's still on, you know? Haven't put the signs back up since they took them down to stop Jerry using them.

Oh, well I've only ever been to NY and Raleigh, NC, didn't see any there.

Doesn't sound logical... probably just your perception cos I know when I first had to get used to it on the mainland, it did seem quite chaotic, but after a couple of weeks of long distance driving it became second nature. It's just literally the same but flipped round mirror image.

If you are driving on the left you don't get filter roads coming in from the right, they feed in from the left, so if someone is trying to enter the road from the right, they are crossing over along lane of traffic so speed, visability etc is obvious. It was just different from the US where you get feeder roads in at both sides, is all.